Ditch digging machine disk auger attachment

ABSTRACT

A disk auger attachment for ditch digging machines pivotally mounted on the boom of the ditch digger for engaging the ground adjacent the sides of the ditch to move loose earth adjacent the ditch away from the ditch and to remove earth from the edges of the ditch for preventing caveins thereof. A pair of disks are mounted on arms pivotally secured to the ditch digger boom with the axes of the disks converging and extending at an acute angle to the ditch. A bracket on the boom is arranged to lift the disks simultaneously with the raising of the boom.

United States Patent Craddick et al.

[ 1 3,654,713 [451 Apr. 11, 1972 [54] DITCH DIGGING MACHINE DISK AUGERATTACHMENT [72] Inventors: Elmer C. Craddick; Eleanor M. Craddick, bothof 6236 West 2nd ST., Rio Linda,

Seward Blaine ..37/142.5 UX

2,582,538 1/1952 Flynn ..37/80 R 1,185,834 6/1916 Scalzitti ..37/80 A1,335,605 3/1920 Ruehle ..37/86 Primary Examiner-Robert E. PulfreyAssistant Examiner-Clifford D. Crowder Att0rneyAlexander B. Blair [5 7]ABSTRACT A disk auger attachment for ditch digging machines pivotallymounted on the boom of the ditch digger for engaging the ground adjacentthe sides of the ditch to move loose earth adjacent the ditch away fromthe ditch and to remove earth from the edges of the ditch for preventingcaveins thereof. A pair of disks are mounted on arms pivotally securedto the ditch digger boom with the axes of the disks converging andextending at an acute angle to the ditch. A bracket on the boom isarranged to lift the disks simultaneously with the raising of the boom.

1 Claim, 9 Drawing Figures DITCH DIGGING MACHINE DISK AUGER ATTACHMENTThis invention relates to attachments for a trenching or ditch diggingmachine for alleviating the problems of spilled dirt and cave-ins alongthe top uppermost edges of the trenches being dug which have plaguedconstruction workers despite presentday advances in equipment andmachinery.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is the provision of animplement on each side of a ditch for pushing loose dirt adjacent to theedges of the ditch back from the ditch and for cutting a portion of theground adjacent the top edge of the ditch.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an implement whichmoves along with the ditch digger and automatically adjusts to a uniformdepth within the ground adjacent to the ditch being dug.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an implementwhich automatically raises from the ground adjacent from the trenchbeing dug upon the lifting of the boom and cutting chain from thetrench.

The above and other objects of this invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiment of this invention taken togetherwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the device;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the disk.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, there is shown in FIG. 1the dotted outline of a boom 20 for digging a trench. Mounted on the topand bottom of boom 20 are brackets 22 and 24 which are secured to thesides of boom 20 by means of angle iron 26. Brackets 22 and 24 are alsosecured to each other by means of bolts 28 as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and7. There are several different methods in which bolts 28 preferably fitin brackets 22 and 24. A pipe 30 extending down from the bottom surfaceof bracket 22 and either threaded or welded thereto may be threaded onthe inside thereof in order to receive bolt 28. Rather than beingthreaded, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, pipe 30 may have a nut 32 welded tothe inside thereof and adapted to threadedly receive bolt 28.

Shaft bushings 34 secured to the upper surface of bracket 22 ondiagonally opposite ends thereof are adapted to pivotally receive shaft36 therethrough which are locked into place by shaft lock collars 38 and40. A grease inlet 42 is located at the top of each shaft bushing 34.

On the other end of each shaft 36 is a bent portion 50 whose axis, onthe machine side of the intersecting point of the axes of portion 50 andthe longitudinal axis of boom 20, forms an acute angle with thelongitudinal axis of boom 20. Mounted on each bent portion 50 is aconvex disk blade 52 facing boom 20 and secured between an inner hub 54and an outer hub 56 by means of bolts 58. Hubs 54 and 56 being securedin place on portion 50 between thrust washers 60 welded to portion 50.On opposite sides of thrust washer 60 are expansion pins 62diametrically inserted through portion 50. A grease insert 64 is locatedat the top of inner hubs 54. FIG. 9 shows in detail the hub and diskblade structure, disk blade 52 being mounted at its center on portion50. It should be noted that the center portion 66 of disk blade 52 isflat where joined to hubs 54 and 56.

When boom 20 and its associated cutting chain is in the below groundposition, disk blades 52 remain on the ground adjacent the trenchpushing dirt at the top edge of the ditch back from the ditch as theditch digging machine moves along. Due to independent pivotalconnections, each disk blade 52 pivots within its associated bushing 34without re ard to the other CllSk blade for independently moving up andown when encountering rocks, uneven ground, etc. adjacent the ditch.When boom 20 is raised out of the ditch and above the ground, horizontalextensions 70 and 72 make contact with corresponding shafts 36 and liftthem off the ground together with boom 20.

While the preferred embodiments of this invention have been illustratedand described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatmodifications and changes may be resorted to without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

We claim The claim A ditch digging machine having a boom and a diskauger attachment attached thereto for removing dirt from the top edgesof the ditch as it is being dug to prevent cave-ins and for moving loosedirt on the surface away from the ditch, said attachment comprising amount attached to the boom of the ditch digging machine, a shaft on eachside of the boom pivotally connected on one end thereof to the uppersurface of said mount, a blade joumalled on the other end of each saidshaft, the axis of each said blade being parallel with the ground andeach making an acute angle with the sides of the ditch with the vertexof each angle pointing away from the ditch digging machine, each saidblade being positioned in a manner so that as the ditch digging machinemoves forward, each said blade is adjacent to one of the top edges ofthe ditch and simultaneously cuts off part of the top edge of the ditchand pushes loose dirt near the top edge thereof back away from theditch, each said blade moving up and down on the ground near the topedge of the ditch independent of each other, and a horizontal extensionsecured to each side of said mount which is parallel to the sides of theboom, a said extension being positioned below a portion of each saidshaft in proximity to the pivotal connection thereof for automaticallylifting each said blade from the ground as the boom is raised from theditch, said shaft being slidably mounted to the upper surface of saidmount to move in a direction transverse with the longitudinal axis ofthe boom for adjustment to various width ditches, said blade being inthe shape of a convex disk facing the ditch for pushing loose dirt awayfrom the ditch, said mount including opposing brackets secured to theupper and lower sides of the boom, a pluralityof vertical cylindricalelements extending below the upper bracket, a nut secured within eachsaid element, and a plurality of bolts inserted through said bottombracket and each threadedly secured to one of said nuts.

